Iran Supreme Leader calls for cooperation on subsidies law

Ayatollah Khamenei in a meeting with government officials

The persistence of conflict between Iranian parliament and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the radical changes facing government subsidies has once more demanded the attention of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei as he called on the legislative and executive branches of the government to show more cooperation in resolving the issues.

In a meeting today, Monday, with a group of senior government officials, Ayatollah Khamenei called for greater coordination between the three branches of the government, adding: “Greater coordination does not mean that officials have to ignore their personal opinions. However, differences of opinion should not stop the wheels of the country or cause divisions in the objectives of its officials.”

He expressed high hopes that the government and the parliament will reach consensus over the subsidies law so that “people can taste the result of the struggles and foresight of their officials.”

The parliament has opted for a more gradual method of cutting government subsidies in order to avoid a possible sudden rise in inflation.

Ahmadinejad, on the other hand, is after greater savings for the government and refuses to execute the current law approved by the parliament because it only allows him half the savings he had proposed to make through cutting subsidies.

The parliament and the government have decided to enter further discussions of the matter starting tomorrow.